Acre-Feet of Water Calculator
Accurately measure large water volumes for ponds, reservoirs, and irrigation.
Calculation Results:
Understanding Acre-Feet of Water
An acre-foot is a unit of volume commonly used in the United States to describe large-scale water resources, such as reservoirs, aqueducts, and irrigation canals. It is defined as the volume of water required to cover one acre of surface area to a depth of exactly one foot.
The Formula
To calculate acre-feet, you simply multiply the surface area by the average depth:
Key Conversion Factors
When working with water volume, it is helpful to know how an acre-foot translates to other common measurements:
- 1 Acre-Foot = 43,560 Cubic Feet
- 1 Acre-Foot = 325,851 Gallons
- 1 Acre-Foot ≈ 1,233 Cubic Meters
Practical Example
Imagine you have a recreational pond that covers 3.5 acres of land. After taking several measurements, you determine the average depth is 8 feet. To find the total volume of water in acre-feet, you would calculate:
3.5 Acres × 8 Feet = 28 Acre-Feet
To convert this to gallons, you would multiply 28 by 325,851, resulting in approximately 9,123,828 gallons of water.
Why Use Acre-Feet?
Using gallons or cubic feet for large bodies of water often leads to unwieldy numbers. Acre-feet provides a manageable scale for hydrologists, farmers, and civil engineers to plan for seasonal irrigation needs or municipal water storage. For perspective, one acre-foot is typically enough water to meet the needs of two average suburban households for one year.